6 Things You Never, Ever Knew About Candy Canes
1. Their origin is still a mystery.
Sugar sticks have been popular for over three centuries, but some say that they have stronger Christian roots; arguing the white coloring represents Jesus's purity, the red his blood, and the shape a "J" for his name. This is a mere myth, while the more common origin story is that candy canes were created and passed out to children during church to keep them quiet during the longer-than-usual Christmas and nativity service. The candies were given a bend to resemble a shepherd's cane, thus making them more appropriate for the setting.
2. Candy canes used to be totally white.
In the late 19th century, Christmas cards and advertisements depicted candy canes that were plain white. At the turn of the century red stripes appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Most agree that because they were used as much for decor as for eating, it makes sense someone would think to add a dash of festive color.
3. They're made with just three ingredients.
The recipe is simple (sugar, corn syrup, flavoring) but the process is not. While it may be tempting to make your own, we suggest leaving the handling of molten sugar and corn syrup to the professionals.
4. The world's largest candy cane was 51 feet long.
Chef Alain Roby broke the world record for the largest candy cane in 2012 after he crafts a 51-foot-long treat in Geneva.
5. More than 1.76 billion are made each year.
What's more, 90 percent of them are purchased between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They're the number-one selling candy (outside of chocolate) at Christmastime. Maybe because everyone loves Glen Coco so much.
6. There are some gnarly flavors.
Candy canes are the quintessential treat of winter but peppermint isn't the only flavor available. Of course fruity flavors are always popular but we're talking about stranger things like pickle, gravy, bacon, and wasabi.
Get Yours Now Delish Cookbook, Amazon.com
('You Might Also Like',)